Getting Started

Set up JustInvoice in a few minutes. The minimum is: business info + tax + create your first invoice. Stripe is optional — if your clients pay by Interac e-Transfer (most Canadian service businesses), you don't need it at all.

1

Create your account

Sign up at the signup page. All you need is an email and password — no credit card required to get started.

2

Set up your business info

Go to Settings and fill in your business name, email, phone, and address. This info appears on every invoice you create.

Also set your invoice number prefix (e.g. INV, ACME) — invoices will be numbered like INV-2025-0001.

3

Configure sales tax optional

In Settings → Sales tax, enable your tax type (HST, GST, VAT, etc.) and enter the rate as a decimal.

Common rates: 0.05 = 5% GST, 0.13 = 13% Ontario HST, 0.20 = 20% UK VAT.

Once enabled, each new invoice will include a tax line automatically. You can also override per-invoice.

4

Choose how you want to get paid recommended

You have two options. Pick whichever fits your business — you can change this any time in Settings → How clients pay you.

Option A — Interac e-Transfer (recommended for Canadian service businesses, tradies, freelancers)

  1. In Settings → How clients pay you, set Default payment mode to e-Transfer only
  2. Enter your e-Transfer email (e.g. you@gmail.com)
  3. Optionally add custom instructions (e.g. "Please send e-Transfer with invoice number in the memo")

Your invoices will display clear e-Transfer instructions and a "Mark paid" button on your dashboard for when the payment clears. No Stripe needed, no transaction fees.

Option B — Stripe card payments (recommended for US/UK/AU freelancers, e-commerce, anyone whose clients prefer cards)

  1. Sign up or log in at dashboard.stripe.com
  2. Go to Developers → API keys
  3. Copy your Secret key (starts with sk_test_ or sk_live_)
  4. Paste it into Settings → Payments (Stripe) → Your key
  5. Set Default payment mode to Stripe (or Both if some clients pay by e-Transfer)

Once set, a "Pay now" button appears on your client-facing invoices. Stripe handles the payment — money goes directly to your Stripe account. Note: Start with a sk_test_ key to test, switch to sk_live_ for real payments.

Not sure? Start with Option A (e-Transfer) — it works for ~70% of Canadian small businesses, no setup beyond entering your email, and you can switch to Stripe later if you need to.

5

Enable email sending optional

JustInvoice can email invoices directly to your clients. Emails are sent from a shared sender address — great for getting started quickly.

Email sending is pre-configured on the hosted version. If you're self-hosting, set RESEND_API_KEY in your .env file (get a free key at resend.com).

6

Create your first invoice

Once your settings are saved:

  1. Go to your Dashboard and click New invoice
  2. Enter your client's name and email
  3. Add one or more line items with descriptions, quantities, and prices
  4. Set issue and due dates, then hit Save
  5. From the invoice view, either Email to client or copy the share link

Your client gets a clean, professional invoice page where they can download the PDF and (if you've set up Stripe) pay online.

That's it. Most freelancers are fully set up in under 5 minutes. If something's not working, check your Settings page for status indicators on each feature.

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